Heading to or from Orlando International Airport? You might want to consider an alternative to Uber and Lyft.
Airport officials announced that passenger pick-up fees for rideshare apps to and from the airport are set to increase. The fee is currently $5.80 per ride. This fee will go up to $6.35 in August, and will increase again to $7 by October. The increase makes Orlando International the most expensive place to take a rideshare service to and from the airport.
As a comparison, the pick-up fee at Tampa International Airport is $5, and just $2 at Miami International Airport. According to Uber, this 20% increase makes the fee the highest for any airport where it operates, and the company is concerned that the fee will negatively impact both riders and drivers.
The rideshare operating agreement was signed in July of 2017 and the $7 fee was approved by the airport authority board in September of 2022. Airport officials are unwilling to budge on the fees. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Kevin Thibault told local news outlet Fox Orlando "This is an issue that was negotiated and resolved when the operating agreement was signed in July of 2017, and we are not renegotiating it. These fee increases were already approved by the authority board in September 2022 and there is no reason to bring them back to the board."
Other rideshare services like Lyft have not publicly commented, but Uber said it plans to notify area passengers and drivers of the change and will encourage them to pressure the airport and lawmakers to reconsider the increase.